MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE
CENTERING PRAYER
Members of the Society of Guardians use the Centering Prayer approach to contemplative prayer and meditation developed by Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington, and Abbot Thomas Keating. It is recommended that members do 20-30 minutes of meditation twice a day if possible (or at least once a day). While often seen as a practice in Eastern Religions, contemplative prayer and meditation have a rich tradition in Christianity reaching back to its beginnings.
This tradition has been passed on to us through the Greek and Desert Fathers, Renaissance writers such as St Theresa of Avilla, St John of the Cross, and the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing to modern authors such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating. Centering Prayer is a gentle method of silent prayer / meditation that prepares us to experience God's presence within us. This method of prayer is both a relationship with the Divine and a discipline to foster that relationship. To download a PDF brochure on Centering Prayer Meditation click here.
MEDITATIVE RELAXATION COURSE
Meditation and contemplative practice lie at the very heart of mysticism, and of the personal spiritual practice of members of the Society. The Late Senior Guardian Michael Freedman was a meditation teacher through his training in India, and as a Psychologist he incorporated his understandings of consciousness and cognition into his teachings. In 1978 he developed a Free Correspondence Course in Meditation under the auspices of the 'Meditative Relaxation Foundation' (a subsidiary branch of the Society of Guardians) and over the years literally thousands of people both in New Zealand and abroad have benefited from these free courses and teachings.
To help cover printing/postal costs and support the work of the Society a $20 NZD donation is suggested.
The Meditative Relaxation Course is available as a stand-alone course to anyone who would like to undertake it, without any obligation to continue with further involvement or studies with the Society. The Course consists of 10 Lessons undertaken over 2 months.
For further information or to register please email the Senior Guardian